Nightmares
by Pawprinter
Summary: After Atlanta has a terrifying nightmare, she needs comfort. She finds herself seeking comfort from her best friend, Archie. ["I'm right here."/"I was so scared – I am so scared."/"Don't let them own you. You're strong, Atlanta. You are beyond capable of handling some petty nightmares."]


**Hey! It's Pawprinter. This is the first "Class of the Titans" story that I am writing. I actually haven't written in around a year, so I hope you forgive me for any bumps in this story. I'm just getting back into the hang of it.**

 **Enjoy!**

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 **Nightmares**

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"Archie!" Atlanta screamed out.

Her heart was pounding so loudly that she was sure the rest of her roommates would hear it. She jolted awake in the bed and her hands curled around the white sheets that covered her bed. Atlanta gasped for breath as she regained sense from her dream. She sighed, rubbing her face and allowing her fingers to get tangled in her red locks.

"What the hell?" she grumbled. Atlanta swung her legs out from under the covers, allowing the cool air to hit her sweat covered legs.

She closed her eyes and the dream came flooding back to her.

Blood.

Purple.

Screams.

Blue.

Crying.

Death.

Archie.

Instantly, her senses were overrun by the picture forming in her mind. Archie lay in a heap of rubble, pieces of rocks littering his body. Blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth, his eyes looking into the night sky unseeing.

Atlanta let out a sob and stood up from her bed, her feet slipping into the slippers. Tears spilled out of her eyes, making it only half way down her face before she swiped them away.

"Only a nightmare… Not real," she muttered to herself as she began to pace around her small room. Her legs felt weak to walk on; they shook beneath her every step she took.

Atlanta was usually not one to get shaken by anything. She was stronger than anybody would think at first glance. Her heart beat strong and her confidence refused to waver. She didn't get scared easily.

But, right now?

She was terrified.

Atlanta was beyond haunted at what she saw. She saw her best friend – the love of her life – crumpled. Archie, who was usually so strong and so unbreakable was broken. He was dead. The life was removed from his eyes, his chest didn't rise or fall, his heart didn't beat.

A fresh wave of tears hit her as she imagined life without him.

She couldn't.

"Oh, Archie," she sighed, falling back into bed. Atlanta had a pain in her chest; one she didn't think was going away any time soon.

How could someone so strong just die? How could anyone take away such a pure soul from the world? How could anyone take away Archie?

It was all just too horrifying.

She was still panting, the fear of losing her Archie all too fresh. She couldn't get over the nightmare. It felt so real.

Atlanta sighed and wiped a stay tear from her face. She wasn't going to be able to sleep tonight. She wouldn't be able to have her fears and the pain erased until she could see Archie with her own eyes. She needed to be able to feel him to make sure he was okay.

Sitting up again, she reached to her night table and picked up her wrist crossbow, strapping it on. She reached for a flashlight in the same moment, deciding to do just that. She was going to pay Archie a little visit. It would only take a moment, then she could get back to sleep. Her fears of his death would be extinguished and they could go back to sleep.

Atlanta turned and left her room without any more thought. Her flashlight clicked on as she wondered the hallways to Archie's room. She skipped the creaky floorboards, hoping she wouldn't wake her other friends living in the house. As she passed Neil's room, she held her breath and silently tip toed across. She knew she would be ground up and spit out if she woke him from his "beauty rest."

Finally, she reached the door to Archie's room. She took a deep breath and quickly opened his door. Atlanta slid into the darkness and silently shut the door behind her.

Even though her flashlight had been clicked off, the moon illuminated the room. A sad smile grazed her lips as her eyes fell on the sleeping form of her best friend. His whole body covered the bed, his feet and hands sprawling over the edges of the mattress. His covers spilled off the bed, the edge getting tangled around his ankles.

Typical.

She wondered over to his bed, dropping her flashlight and her crossbow on his bed side table. She slowly sat on the edge of his bed, trying her hardest to prevent him from waking. She placed her hand on Archie's bare back, feeling his warmth, pulse, and breathing.

Atlanta felt herself fill with relief. Her pounding and aching heart began to return to normal.

He was okay.

A few silent tears fell from her eyes, both from a mixture of the fear and relief. She desperately loved Archie in many ways; Atlanta couldn't imagine losing him. Her dream had brought her worst fear out from the darkest corner of her mind and allowed those evils to run wild.

Her heart clenched at the memory of Archie's dead body, laying in the rubble. His clothing ripped around him, blood covering his skin, his -

"Uh… Atlanta?" Atlanta jumped from the voice below her, her heart rate increasing drastically.

"Oh, Gods, Archie, you scared me half to death!" she chided, her hand furiously swiping her tears away from her cheeks. Archie flipped over from his stomach to his back.

"I scared you? Hate to break it to you, but you're the one who snuck into my room."

"Oh." Instantly, guilt crept up her spine, mixing with her fear, pain, and sadness. She just woke him up in the middle of the night to see if he was still alive… How extremely foolish of her! The whole house would've been woken if he was in any danger.

Yet, she couldn't bring herself to regret coming to his room. She needed him. She needed him to be alive. She needed her best friend. She needed to prove to herself that he was indeed okay.

What would she have done if she hadn't come to his room? Stay up all night, most likely. Her eyes would be red and puffy from crying herself dry. Her heart would have been filled with constant pain until she seen him again.

A shiver went up her spine as she thought of her night without checking on Archie. Pain was all she could think of.

"What are you doing here?" he questioned further, his eyebrows pulling together in concern. He sat up in bed, taking hold of Atlanta's wrist.

"I just needed to check if you were okay," Atlanta admitted sheepishly. "I see you are. Goodnight. Sorry for waking you, Arch." She stood up and reached for her crossbow, taking a few strides away from the warmth of the bed.

"No, wait!" Archie called, quickly stumbling out of bed. He lunged forward and caught her wrist. "What's wrong? You're upset." Atlanta turned to face Archie, but she felt her breath catch in her throat as she caught sight of his eyes.

 _Eyes unseeing. Looking up into the darkened sky. Seeing the beautiful sky, where he now rest in the stars._

"Shhhhh," Archie whispered, pulling Atlanta into his chest. She stumbled into his defined body, allowing him to pull her head into his shoulder. "Please tell me what's going on, Atlanta."

"No-nothing," she stumbled. Archie soothingly rubbed her flaming red hair, which sent a wave of peace to go through Atlanta's body.

"You're crying," Archie pointed out. His statement broke Atlanta out of her state, and she, once again, wiped her tears away. "What's going on?"

"I-I," Atlanta took a deep breath and bit back a sob, "I am _so_ sorry, Archie. I couldn't save you! I wasn't there on time. Nobody was. An-"

"What?" Archie questioned, pulling away from Atlanta. "I don't know what's going on."

"You're dead!" Atlanta sobbed, the tears finally breaking free and running down her face. She fell into Archie's arms, causing him to stumble backwards and onto his bed. She landed sitting beside him, her face still pressed into his bare shoulder and his arms still wrapped tightly around her shaking frame.

Archie's heart gave a painful squeeze. He had never witnessed Atlanta so hysterical before. Sure, he saw a few tears here and there, but nothing of this magnitude. Just seeing her so broken made him break a little bit, too.

"I'm dead? No, I'm not," he insisted, pulling away from Atlanta once more. Her stormy grey eyes met his, causing Atlanta's tears to halt. "I'm right here." He pulled her back into his chest, gripping her shoulders tightly. "I'm right here."

"Oh, Arch," Atlanta breathed, taking in multiple deep breaths of air. "I was so scared – I am so scared."

Archie once again felt his heart drop. Atlanta was fearless, yet, here she was, filled with fear.

He reached to the foot of his bed, gathering the blankets that he had thrown off during his sleep. He wrapped the thick blanket around Atlanta's quivering frame and around his shoulders, cocooning them together, protecting both of them from the world. She shuddered and pulled herself closer to him, pulling tightly around his waist. Archie smiled weakly and kissed the top of her head.

"You'll have to tell me about what you're so scared of, Lanta," he urged. "I can help you. We can talk about it."

Atlanta felt herself melt further into his side, just as her heart melted from his caring actions. Archie mostly acted uncaring and unaffected by emotions, yet, he was opening his heart to her. In return, she did the same.

"I had a dream," she started. "More like a nightmare, actually. I… It was horrible. You were… You were-"

"Dead?" Archie questioned, remembering her words from her previous outburst. Atlanta's lip quivered and she burst into tears again.

"Yes!" she wailed, her nails digging into his skin. She was still shocked from what her mind had conjured for her nightmare. She was too shocked to say anything. She couldn't put her pain and her fear into words. Her emotions were so strong that it felt as if a hole was opening in the middle of her body.

Her nightmare felt real. It did not feel like a dream; it felt real. It felt as if she had lost her best friend just yesterday.

"It's okay, Atlanta," Archie whispered, pulling the blankets around her shoulders tighter. "Continue."

"No. It's not _okay_ , Archie. You died! It felt so real!"

"I know," Archie replied. "Nightmares always feel real. Trust me, I know. I've had my fair share of them throughout the last few months."

"Really?"

"Of course, Lanta," Archie whispered. "Don't let them own you, though. Show them how strong you are. Show them that even if they do come back, you won't fall apart. You're strong, Atlanta. You are beyond capable of handling some petty nightmares." Archie rubbed her arm soothingly. "Let's talk about it. I'm right here." Atlanta took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.

"You died," she mumbled, the pain she felt evident in her voice. "You were under rubble. Blood was everywhere." Her voice broke and a few tears ran down her cheeks again. "I ran to you. I tried my hardest to lift the rocks, but-but they were too heavy. I couldn't get you out." Her grey eyes flicked from the floor and connected with his. "I'm sorry."

"Atlanta, you don't have anything to be sorry for," Archie insisted. "This was all a nightmare." Her eyes fell back to the floor.

"That wasn't the worst part. The worst part was your eyes." She shivered again, despite being covered in a thin layer of sweat. "They were open, but they weren't _seeing_. You were looking at the stars and I could almost read your last thought. _That is where I'm going._ Your heart wasn't beating, your chest wasn't moving – the only thing still moving was the blood flowing out of you!"

Archie stiffened, which sent Atlanta into a panic. She pulled away from him, her eyes widening.

"I'm sorry. I- You don't need to hear any of this." Atlanta wiped her eyes and pulled away from his arms.

"No, don't go," he mumbled, pulling her back down beside him. "It's just shocking. That's all."

"Archie," Atlanta whined. She collapsed into his arms again. "Arch, I'm scared."

"It was just a nightmare."

"I _know_ , but that doesn't make the fear any less real." Atlanta began to sob once more, her feelings of helplessness overwhelming her.

"Lanta, it's okay," Archie cooed. He wrapped his arms tighter around her shoulders. "I'm right here," he repeated. He hooked his finger under her chin and directed her eyes from the ground to his face. "Look at me. Do I look dead?"

"N-no."

"Look at my eyes," he insisted. Grey met grey once more. "I see you. My eyes are seeing. I'm not looking at the stars because I'm not going there. I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here beside you." He scooped her hand and rested it above his heart. "My heart is still beating. My lungs are still full of air. You may have had a terrible nightmare, but don't focus on that right now. Don't focus on the past and your thoughts. Don't give in to you fears. Give in to _me._ "

"Give in to you?" Atlanta echoed, her eyebrows pulling together, her tears slowing.

"Give in to the present, Atlanta. Focus on the fact that you are sitting beside me. Focus on the fact that my eyes are seeing _you,_ not the sky."

"Give in to the present," she echoed again, her tears stopping altogether.

"I see you, Atlanta. I see your beautiful grey eyes, just as you see my eyes. I see your flawless skin and your flame red hair. I even see your bunny slippers." A small laugh escaped Atlanta's lips. "I mean, come on, at least turn up in my room with some dinosaur slippers!" Atlanta's face lit up in a smile, which made Archie's heart beat faster. "I see you, just as you see me. That was the worst part, right? My eyes? Well, look at them now."

"I'm going to give into the present," Atlanta insisted. Archie smiled and brushed some stray hairs away from her face.

"Good. That is all you need to do. I'm right here. You have all of the proof in the world. I'm here an-"

Archie's sentence was cut off by Atlanta's lips. She flew at him with such force that they both tumbled backwards in bed, the covers getting trapped beneath their bodies. Archie responded instantly, and their lips moved together in perfect synchrony. Their lips locked together so perfectly that they were both sure they were built for each other.

The kiss only lasted for a few seconds, but it sent both of their hearts racing.

"I'm so-"

"Don't say it," Archie insisted, his eyes closing. "I'm not sorry. Not for anything."

"Well, I'm not either then," Atlanta responded. She cupped the back of his head and swooped in for an urgent kiss. Archie's hands snaked around her sides, pulling her flush against his body. Her fingers swept across the top of his head lightly, lightly tugging at the purple stands.

They broke away, the room being filled with small pants for air. Their eyes met and a smile swept across their faces.

"What brought that on?" Archie questioned.

"I gave in to the present. I gave in to _you._ " She wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being you."

A pleasant silence falls on both of the teenagers, the only sounds filling the room were their soft breathing.

"Are you okay now?" Archie broke the silence. Atlanta shrugged.

"I'm sure I will be by morning." She climbed up from the bed and away from Archie. She pulled the blankets out from underneath him and climbed under. Her head rested on his pillow for a few seconds before she looked towards the foot of the bed. Atlanta raised an eyebrow in Archie's direction. "Are you going to join me?"

"Uh- what?" he questioned lamely.

"Well, I'm not going to go back to sleep if I go to my room. I need to make sure you're safe. I need to be in your arms tonight," she explained. "Please?" Archie smiled and climbed from the foot of the bed to beside her.

"Of course." He wrapped an arm around her. Silence once again fell. "You know we're going to be in so much trouble."

"For what? I left my flashlight and crossbow in here yesterday morning and I left my room early to pick them up." A devious smile crossed her face and Archie laughed.

"How could I forget?"

Once more, silence ghosted the room.

"Goodnight, Arch," Atlanta finally broke the pleasant silence. Archie pulled his best friend closer to his body, taking in deep breaths of her scent.

"Goodnight, Lanta." She closed her eyes, but he couldn't find the strength to close his. "I'll be right here." He finally closed his eyes and gave in to sleep.

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 **I hope you enjoyed this quick little story. I always found the couple to be my favourite.**

 **I hope that most of you readers understand why Archie and Atlanta aren't exactly how they are portrayed on the show. Atlanta just witnessed something so horrific that she is falling apart. Archie is watching her fall apart and is doing his best to keep her together.**

*Note: at the end of this chapter, all that happened was sleep. Of course, they kissed twice, but that is it. I feel as if they are still best friends above anything else and wouldn't want to jeopardize their relationship by jumping into anything.*

 **I actually haven't watched the show in approximately five or six years, so I may be a little rusty on my knowledge. Feel free to give constructive feedback or correct any knowledge I may have gotten wrong. You can contact me through PM or review.**

 **Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed!**

 **Leave me a review to tell me what you thought! I truly love reading them. Each of them makes my day. Plus, I am also very curious to see how strong this fandom is! As I said before, it is my first story written in this category.**

 **Thanks again! Reviews are loved.**

 **Pawprinter**


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